Visions of You
by shatteredpearl
Summary: A Sonic X story. Tails is heartbroken after losing Cosmo. Can he get her back? And will he want to?
1. Prologue

The dying sun slowly rose over the mountains, bathing the world with a dim red radiance. Once, the land had been a paradise: crystal-clear streams, lush, green forests, and high, snowcapped mountains. Now, however, the world was a dried husk. The water was thick with sludge, the few trees that remained were gnarled and blackened, and the mountains had long since crumbled to dust.

As the sun rose, a beam of light slowly slid along the forest floor, heading towards a large stone pillar. The light slid up the stone, illuminating the body bound to the slab. As the light reached her face, the creature stirred, opening her bright blue eyes. A feeble voice rang out, "Wh-where am I?"

A sinister laugh echoed through the forest. "You're awake. Good."

"What's happening? Why am I here?" Asked the prisoner, a note of terror cutting through her voice. As she spoke, she saw a shadowy figure walking towards her. Its face was obscured by shadow, but she could tell from the voice that it was male. The figure smiled, its eyes glinting with light from the rising sun.

"You must be scared," the figure said. "Don't worry, I won't hurt you." Despite his words, there was no trace of compassion in his voice. "In fact, I'm here to help. Don't you want to see Tails again?"

Her eyes widened. Tails! His name rocketed through her mind like a bolt of lightning. After so many years, the mention of him brought tears to her eyes. "You... you can do that?"

"Yes, but I need you. That's why you're here." The figure was closer now. Squinting against the sun, she could just make out his silhouette. He seemed so familiar...

"What do you mean? What do I have to do?"

The figure stopped at the base of the pillar. Closing his eyes, he began to rise into the air. When he was at eye level with the prisoner, he whispered,

"Just relax. It'll all be over soon."

He reached out and touched her between her eyes. As his finger made contact, a jolt of pain shot through her mind. She screamed, straining against the chains that bound her to the stone. As he removed his hand, she heard a faint whisper,

"Help me..."

She looked up, and saw a single tear running down her captor's cheek. With a jolt, she recognized the figure that stood before her. As her vision dimmed, she mumbled,

"Why? I... trusted you..."

A voice rang through her head: "I keep my promises, Cosmo. You will see Tails again."

As the Seedrian lost consciousness, a single word escaped her lips.

"Shadow..."

The hedgehog turned into the rising sun. "It is done," he said.

With a low rumble, a rift appeared in the air. As he approached the rift, he looked back at Cosmo, still chained to the rock. The tear fell from his face as he murmured,

"I'm sorry."

Then, he stepped into the rift and vanished, leaving only the desolate wasteland behind.


	2. Chapter 1

Tails sped down the path, tears streaming from his eyes. As he ran, he thought, _How could this happen? How could everything go so wrong?_

His thoughts flickered back six years, back to the fateful day he'd killed his love. It had been just one small motion, one press of a button, but it had changed his life forever. He remembered how she'd asked him to fire the cannon, how he'd refused. He remembered how she'd appeared in front of him, telling him not to be sad._ I'm sorry, Cosmo_. he thought. _I'm defying your last wish._

He thought about the first few weeks after it happened. He'd tried to forget, burying himself in his friends' happiness. When Sonic had asked him to help stop Eggman (again), he'd agreed at once. But he couldn't hold off the sadness forever. It had returned the day after they'd gotten back from defeating Eggman. He'd been lying in bed, when he suddenly heard Cosmo's voice in his ear: "Don't be sad, Tails." He'd jolted out of bed, frantically shouting, "Cosmo!" But when he'd looked around, she was nowhere to be found. He'd sank to the floor, crying. _Why did you have to leave, Cosmo? _he'd thought_. There must have been another way! _

His thoughts sped through the next five years. So much had happened: Vector and Vanilla's wedding, , and, of course, the many battles against Eggman. However, none of it had seemed to matter. Without Cosmo, he'd felt like all the light had left the world. He'd gradually stopped visiting his friends, until he refused to even leave his room. That is, until yesterday.

As he thought about it, he suddenly found himself reliving the events of the day before. He was gazing out the window, remembering the times he'd spent with Cosmo. Almost without him noticing, tears began flowing down his cheeks. His door creaked open. It was Cream, Cheese floating beside her.

"Tails? Are you all right?" Cream asked.

Tails looked up, tears cascading down his cheeks.

"I miss her so much, Cream. Every moment of every day, I think of her. I cared for her, Cream! And now she's gone!"

Cream knelt beside him, one hand caressing his cheek.

"Tails... I can't stand seeing you like this."

Tails wiped his eyes. "Cream, thank you for caring about me. I just... I can't stop thinking about her."

Cream looked into the young fox's eyes. "Tails, do you remember what she said before she left? She said to not be sad. When you cry, you hurt her. And you hurt me. Every time I see you cry, it hurts."

Tails' temper flared. "Well, Cream, I loved her!"

"And I love you!" Cream shouted. Her eyes widened as she realized what she'd blurted out. She clapped her hands over her mouth and dashed out of his room.

"Cream, wait!" Tails shouted, but she was gone.

Tails slammed his hand on the table. "Cream...," he said. "I never realized... Graahh! All I ever do is hurt people!"

Tails' gaze drifted across his room. It landed on the plant sitting on his windowsill. Tails had planted the seed he'd gotten from Sonic. He'd secretly hoped that it would turn out to be Cosmo, but all it had given him was a single rose. Nevertheless, he cared for the tiny flower; it was the only link he had to Cosmo.

Tails walked over to the flowerpot. He caressed the one of the beautiful red petals. His mind filled with thoughts of Cosmo: her gentle nature, her beautiful smile, the way she had cared for him. The pain returned, tiny daggers slicing his heart into shreds. Tails stood for a moment, paralyzed by his longing. With a great effort, he forced his feet to move.

He opened the small door at the back of his room and walked down the staircase inside. Flicking on the lights, Tails beheld the Blue Typhoon, the spaceship he'd created to fight the Metarex. He pressed a button, and a door opened in the side of the ship. Tails wandered through the ship's corridors until he emerged onto the bridge. Tails slid into his seat. With the press of a button, the screen lit up, lines of coding scrolling across it.

Tails spent the next six hours immersed in numbers. The mental exercise eased the pain he felt at losing Cosmo. Tails eventually slid out of the seat, feeling unsteady on his feet. Tails' stomach growled, reminding him of the meals he'd missed. He kneeled down and pulled the lever hidden under the seat. The secret compartment slid out silently. Tails reached inside, his hand closing on a plate of cake. He pulled it out, grabbing a fork from the side compartment. Tails took a forkful of cake. It was halfway to his mouth when he remembered: Cosmo had made this.

It had been Tails' ninth birthday. Sonic and the others had thrown him a party aboard the Blue Typhoon. Cream had insisted Cosmo bake his birthday cake. Cosmo had tried to follow Cream's special recipe, but had failed miserably. To Tails, however, it couldn't have tasted better. Just knowing that she'd tried had been enough for him.

Tails put the plate back, his appetite gone. He slowly walked back to his room, exhausted. He slammed the door shut and collapsed on his bed. As he fell asleep, his last thought was of Cosmo.

The afternoon sun shone through the window, illuminating the young fox tangled in his blankets. Tails moaned, writhing. "No, please... no... why? Cos...mo... COSMO!"

Tails sat up quickly, throwing off the blankets.

"Just a dream," Tails said softly, wiping the tears from his eyes. "It's just a dream."

This particular dream had occurred almost every time Tails slept. In it, Tails was forced to relive Cosmo's last moments. He'd feel the ship rock as he fired the cannon, see the light from the final blast. However, the dream then separated from reality. He'd hear a piercing scream, all too recognizable as Cosmo. He'd see her running towards him, a black void rushing behind her. He'd try to help, try to save her, but he was always too late. The darkness would swallow her, and she'd be gone.

Tails shuddered, the last traces of the dream still clinging to him. "Cosmo... Why?" he asked softly. "Why did you have to go? It's not fair..."

Tails swung himself off his bed. He walked over to his window and stroked Cosmo's sapling. He sank into a chair, seeing how the sunlight shone through the delicate leaves. Watching the plant eased the pain; he felt connected to Cosmo, if only through the flower.

Unbidden, memories flooded his mind. He remembered running into her aboard the Blue Typhoon. She'd dropped her flower pin in the collision. He remembered the painstaking work he'd done to restore the pin, and the way her face had lit up when he returned it. And he remembered the words he'd almost said to her: _You're so beautiful. _

Tails felt the tears running down his cheeks, but made no attempt to wipe them away. He felt drained of energy, unable to do more than sit and cry. Eventually, the tears stopped flowing, and tails was left staring numbly at the plant.

He heard his door creak open, and a voice ask,

"Tails?"

Tails could tell that it was Sonic. Closing his eyes, Tails said, "Leave me alone."

"Tails, I'm worried about you. I've never seen you so down."

"Sonic, I... I just miss her so much." Tails responded, holding back a fresh wave of tears.

"I know, Tails. I miss her too." Sonic said. "But it's time to move on."

Startled, Tails opened his eyes. He opened his mouth to protest, but Sonic cut him off. "Tails, it's hard to lose someone. But you can't stay like this forever."

Tails felt a wave of anger begin to rise inside him. "I'm not just gonna forget her, Sonic. I can't!"

"Tails, listen to me. I know you loved her, but-"

Tails snapped. "Love?" he said. He laughed humorlessly. "What do you know about love? You've never loved anybody in your entire life!" He was yelling now, but he didn't care. "Amy's been chasing you around for over six years. She's been trying to protect you, and you won't even acknowledge her! You don't care for her at all! You don't care about anyone but yourself!" Tails stood up, bringing his face close to Sonic's. "You are the most selfish person I've ever met, Sonic the Hedgehog." Tails turned his back to Sonic. "Now get out of my room."

"Tails, I-" Sonic began. Tails' hand curled into a fist.

"I said, get out!" Tails spun around and swung his fist at Sonic, punching him in the face. Sonic put a hand to his cheek, stunned by what had just happened.

"Leave me alone." Tails said, turning back to Cosmo's plant. Sonic wordlessly turned and left.

Tails' anger dissipated quickly, replaced by a numbing horror. _I hit Sonic. I hurt my best friend. _"First Cream, now Sonic..." Tails murmured. "How many more people will I hurt?"

Tails' gaze flashed to the shelf above his bed. It held photographs of Tails and his friends. However, there was one picture absent from the shelf. It sat on his workbench, in a mirrored case he had built. Tails walked over and picked it up. He stared at the picture of him and Cosmo, the day of the party.

With an angry cry, Tails hurled the picture at the wall. The case broke, shards of mirror ricocheting around. One sped past his face, slicing open his cheek. He reflexively clapped a hand to the stinging cut. He slowly removed his hand and stared at the blood on his glove. _Now I've hurt myself, too. _he thought ruefully.

Tails picked up the slip of paper that had fluttered to the ground. It showed Cosmo and himself, with the rest of the crew in the background. He stared at Sonic's smiling face. _I can't bear to face him after what I did today._ Suddenly, Tails had an idea. _At least this way I won't hurt anyone else. _

"Tails?" Cream knocked softly on Tails' door. "I just wanted to say that I..." Her voice trailed off as the door slowly swung open. "Tails?" Cream asked again. When no response came, she slowly entered the room. The curtains flapped gently in the soft summer breeze, but there was no other movement. _He must be in his workshop, _Cream thought. She was about to leave, when she noticed the envelope lying on Tails' desk. Two words were printed in black ink on the front:

**I'm sorry.**

Cream stared at the envelope, confused. She picked it up and opened it, pulling out the sheet of paper inside. As she read the first few sentences, a cold sense of dread settled over her. She turned and began to run out the door. She hadn't gotten more than a few paces when a blue streak sped past her. Sonic stopped at the door, then turned back and asked, "Are you all right, Cream?"

"Sonic..." Cream began, tears welling up in her eyes. "Tails is gone..."


	3. Chapter 2

The sound of footsteps echoed throughout the forest. Tails ran along the dirt path, panting heavily. He stopped to catch his breath, then sat down on a large boulder on the side of the path. _Where am I? _Tails wondered. _I can't have gone that far. _Tails' thoughts drifted to the letter he'd left. _I hope they don't worry about me._

A shadow slid along the ground, stopping as it reached Tails. He looked up, noticing the sudden absence of light. A figure was visible against the bright sun. It grew larger as it glided through the air. Tails recognized the winged visitor. "Rouge?" he said, heart sinking.

"Hey, kid." Rouge said as she gracefully landed on the packed dirt. "Where you been?"  
>"Very funny, Rouge," Tails sighed. "All right, you found me. Run off and tell Sonic."<br>Rouge stared at Tails, a quizzical expression on her face. "Tell him what? And how'd you know I was looking for you?"  
>Tails swore underneath his breath. He'd been wrong. Rouge had been trying to find him, but apparently not to bring him back. As he tried to make up an explanation, Rouge's face switched from puzzled to smug. "You ran away, didn't you?" she asked, sounding somewhat surprised. "You got guts, kid."<br>Tails nodded. "Please don't tell Sonic where I am." he asked.  
>Rouge winked. "Your secret's safe with me. That is, unless you mess with me." She murmured something about Bokkun, then chuckled.<br>"Rouge, why were you looking for me?" Tails asked.  
>Rouge sat down next to Tails. "I.. wanted to ask you something." she said, sounding unusually shy.<br>"What's wrong?" Tails asked.  
>"Well..." Rouge turned away, sighing. "Do you want a drink?" She pulled out a pair of glass bottles and tossed one to Tails.<br>"Rouge? You do remember I'm eleven, right?"  
>"I know; it's ginger ale."<br>Tails looked doubtfully at the bottle.  
>"I promise I didn't spike it this time, okay?" Rouge said.<br>Tails opened the bottle and took a sip. The fizzy liquid tickled as it traveled down his throat, and he coughed. Rouge took a swig from her own bottle, which was definitely not ginger ale. For a while, the two sat together. Tails nursed his drink, savoring the sweet flavor. Rouge, on the other hand, drank quickly, going through four bottles in the time it took Tails to finish his.

"What do you want to ask me?" Tails asked again.

Rouge sighed. "Tails, what's wrong with me?"

Tails looked quizzically at the bat. "What do you mean?"

"I can't stop thinking about him! Every moment of every day, I miss him. He saved us all, and I never even got to tell him that I loved him! But he's gone! He's not coming back! So why can't I forget him?" Rouge's voice had quickly risen in volume; the last sentence had been shouted at the top of her lungs.

Rouge's words struck a chord in Tails' heart. She had described exactly how Tails felt about Cosmo. With a shaky voice, he asked, "Shadow?"

Rouge nodded. "Tails... I understand what you're going through. And I'm not gonna give you any stupid story about how it gets better. I just wanted you to know that you're not alone." Rouge swore, then added, "I sound like an idiot, don't I?" She buried her face in her hands as a fresh wave of tears overcame her.

Tails realized that she'd told the truth. However, there was one huge difference between them. Tails' heart filled with pity. He leaned forwards and hugged the bat tightly. She jerked backwards, startled.

"Rouge, I'm so sorry. I didn't know."

"What do you mean?" Rouge asked, confused.

"I've had Sonic and Amy and everyone else helping me through this. It must have been so hard to do it alone."

Rouge smiled ruefully. "Ya got that right, kid." She sniffed and wiped at her eyes. "It hasn't been easy, but at least I have this." She pulled out a golden ring. Tails recognized it as one of Shadow's inhibitor rings. "It reminds me of him." Tails agreed. _How many times has Cosmo's plant helped me? _

Tails gasped, suddenly remembering he'd left the plant at his house. "Rouge, I'm sorry. I have to go!" He dashed off, ignoring the bat's questions. _I have to make sure it's okay!_

Rouge watched the fox run. She laughed dryly. "So I'm alone again." She sighed, then tucked the limiter ring back into her pocket and set off down the road.

The clouds, which had been light and fluffy, soon grew dark. The rain came quickly, pouring down in heavy sheets. Tails, though soaked and freezing, continued to struggle down the path. Eventually, though, he was forced to stop. The rain had obscured his vision, and he knew that he was hopelessly lost. Tails gave up on trying to reach the house that night, and instead went about finding shelter. He stumbled upon a small hill. A fallen tree had uprooted the land, forming a small cave. Tails crawled inside, wet and miserable. "Cosmo..." he murmured as he closed his eyes.

The rain lessened as the fox slept, until it was no more than a light drizzle. The grayness of night was unbroken, except for a soft white light in the distance. It came closer, gaining more definition. A glowing figure stopped outside the cave, untouched by the rain. A smile graced her face, even as tears glistened in her aquamarine eyes.

Tails awoke the next day. He sat up, banging his head against the dirt roof of the cave. He shook the lingering traces of sleep from his head. "Where am I?"he wondered aloud.

The events of the past day rushed into his head, and he scrambled out of the cave. He squinted against the bright morning sun, trying to get his bearings. He took to the sky, hoping he could find a landmark. To his surprise, he found that he was only a half-mile away from his house. He quickly flew to the edge of the woods, touching down behind a tree. _I can't let them see me. _he thought.

Tails flew to his windowsill. He paused, then eased the window open and stepped inside. He breathed in the familiar smell of grease wafting from his turned to his workbench, then stifled a cry. "No..." he whispered.

Cosmo's rose, once full of life, was now dried and withered. The petals had turned the color of rust, and the leaves had mostly fallen. Tails reached tentatively out towards the plant and touched one of the leaves. The leaf crumbled away in his hand. Tails swallowed, fighting back tears. The last link he had to Cosmo was dying, and there was nothing he could do.

Unbidden, a memory flashed though his mind. He was sitting on the bridge of the Blue Typhoon, watching through eyes filled with tears as Cosmo died. _I couldn't save her, _he thought. _I couldn't save her then and I can't save her plant now. I'm useless. _Tails couldn't take it anymore. He sank to his knees, overcome by his loss. A frustrated scream tore from his throat.

Tails heard a shout from downstairs, then the sound of someone running. He jumped up in alarm and leaped out the open window. For a gut-wrenching half-second, he fell upside down. Then, he righted himself and flew through the trees. When he'd gotten a good distance away, he touched down, panting.

The full weight of his loss hit him then, and he collapsed, sobbing, on the damp forest ground. "Why? Why is this happening to me?" he sobbed. "Why did you have to leave, Cosmo?"

Tails lay in the grip of grief, weeping uncontrollably. Eventually, his tears stopped flowing, replaced by a numbing emptiness. Tails stood, barely noticing the dirt stuck in his matted fur. His tails slowly began to spin, eventually creating an orange blur behind him.

He rose into the air, slowly at first, but quickly gaining speed. As he rose above the treetops, the numbed sensation vanished; on the contrary, all of Tails' senses seemed stronger. He tasted the crisp, cold air, felt the warm sun on his fur, heard the soft humming of his tails. As he rose, all of his worries seemed to melt away.

As Tails rose higher, he began to feel tired. His tails slowed, then stopped altogether. He started to fall, the wind whipping past his face. But still Tails didn't worry. _I'm sorry, but I have to do this. I have to be with her. _Tails was falling faster now, the treetops speeding towards him like a line of teeth, eager to devour him.

Suddenly, he heard a voice in his ear. "No, Tails! Don't! You have to live!"

Tails gasped as he recognized the voice. "Cosmo?" His body suddenly filled with energy, and he desperately tried to slow his fall. His tails whipped around as he struggled to spin them. As he approached the treetops, his tails began to spin. However, the lift created was not enough to stop his fall. He crashed through the branches, then landed on the packed dirt with a heavy thump. As his vision dimmed, he saw a figure hovering over him. "Cosmo?" he murmured softly. Then, he knew no more.

Something tickled Tails' nose. He reached up to brush it away, then groaned as a wave of pain swept through his body. He opened his eyes, momentarily confused. _What happened? _Then he remembered. Tails sat up quickly, then cried out and fell back down. It felt as if red-hot pokers were pressing against every inch of his flesh.

Tails looked down to where his feet should be. Instead, there was merely an amorphous blob of pink. Tails rubbed his eyes, then looked again. He saw that his body was covered with thousands of pink petals. As his rational thought returned, he began to wonder why they were there. He looked up, but the trees around him had nothing but green leaves.

Tails reached out for one of the petals. He rubbed it between his fingers thoughtfully. As he did so, a light fragrance filled the air. _Roses,_ Tails thought. _But where did they come from? _Tails inhaled again. He detected a different smell floating behind the roses. He knew he'd smelled it before, but where?

Tails gasped as he placed the smell. "Cosmo!" he exclaimed. He suddenly remembered the vision he'd had, right before passing out. Cosmo, bathed in white light, had been floating over him. Her eyes were filled with a combination of fright, worry, and grief. She'd reached out towards him, but he'd fallen unconscious.

Tails leapt to his feet, ignoring the pain of his wounds. "Cosmo?" he called out. He heard a faint cry off to his right. He spun in that direction, and caught a glimpse of a glowing figure gliding through the trees. Tails charged through the forest after her. Every few minutes, he saw a glint of light through the trees.

He ran, heedless of his injuries. He ignored his burning legs, his trembling arms. The moon, which had emerged from behind a cloud, illuminated the ground with a silver light, twisting the surrounding landscape. The moonlight brightened the trees, while obscuring the ground. And so it was that Tails did not see the large tree root in the middle of his path.

Tails tripped, stumbled, and fell. He tumbled forwards, feeling the ground batter his bruised flesh. He rolled into something wet and felt his fur quickly become saturated. He threw his arms out, attempting to stop himself. As his chest slammed into the ground, he felt only air beneath his fingers. Tails opened his eyes. He was at the very edge of a cliff. Far below him, a river snaked its way through the forest.

Tails got up shakily, aware that he'd nearly died for the second time that day. He stood, wincing as his injured legs screamed with pain. Tails began walking back the way he'd come. He skirted a shallow lake, not wanting to get any more wet than he already was. As he reached the edge of the forest, he heard someone call his name.

Tails whirled around. His breath caught in his throat as he saw Cosmo. She was floating inches above the surface of the lake. She smiled, and reached out towards him. Tails walked slowly towards her. "Cosmo," he breathed. As he reached his hand out towards her, her image rippled, then disappeared.

Tails stared, horrified. His outstretched hand began to tremble. Tears welled up in his eyes. A scream burst from his lips. "NO!" Tails sank to his knees at the water's edge. His sobs echoed through the forest, the only sound in the otherwise peaceful night.

Suddenly, a voice sounded in Tails' ear. "Don't be sad, Tails. Whenever you miss me, just look for me, right here beside you." Tails looked up slightly. An image of Tails looked back at him, reflected on the surface of the lake. Behind the fox stood Cosmo. Tails shook his head. _I've finally gone crazy. _he thought. He buried his face in his hands as he began to cry again.

As a fresh wave of grief swept over him, Tails felt a hand on his shoulder. As he looked up, his jaw dropped. Hardly believing his eyes, he asked,

"Cosmo?"


End file.
